1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power supply systems, and, more particularly, to power supply systems for portable electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the number of portable electronic devices regularly carried and used by consumers has increased dramatically. Specifically, “smart” cellular phones and wearables, such as watches, have become increasingly common in society. Such devices have become increasingly common due to the price of the devices decreasing while the functionality of the devices increases. One catalyst for the increased functionality and lower prices of these devices has been the development of smaller, cheaper, and faster processors that provide the computational power for the devices.
Unfortunately, the technology for rechargeable batteries powering portable consumer electronic devices has not kept pace with the growing power demands of the devices. As such, many electronic devices carried by consumers cannot go an entire day without the battery needing to be recharged. This has made power outlets in public areas where consumers may spend a significant amount of time, such as travel hubs and hospitals, scarce commodities that people often crowd around to recharge their devices. Many large public areas do not provide sufficient access to electrical power for everyone wishing to recharge their electronic devices, especially in convenient locations that are accessible from areas with seating. Even in high-traffic public areas that do provide electrical outlets, many of the outlets are placed in peripheral walls of the area, due to electrical wiring being hidden in the walls, and may not be accessible from seating areas due to the distance between the seating area and the outlet.
Further, almost all portable electronic devices utilize direct current (DC) power, whereas the power that comes out of electrical outlets is alternating current (AC) power. Portable electronic devices, therefore, require an AC-to-DC converter, which is commonly an adapter “brick” that connects to the electrical outlet and is connected to the device through a standard cable, such as a universal serial bus (USB) cable. The adapter “bricks” are, as their name implies, fairly large, non-pliable and inconvenient to carry, especially compared to USB cables.
What is needed in the art is a system that can conveniently provide electrical power to multiple consumer electronic devices away from an electrical outlet.